coming up roses
by usabuns
Summary: Kokoro lets out a deep breath as she reaches out her hand, gently swinging the greenhouse door open and stepping inside. A quiet "—Oh...?" passes through her lips. She blinks when she realizes someone's already there, directly across from the entrance and sitting down on a chair.


I figured I should crosspost some of my AO3 works onto ffnet while I attempt to get back into the writing groove. Link to my stories there is in my profile! I hope you enjoy the first fic I ever wrote for this fandom, and some select others will be posted in the coming days.

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The watering can, filled to the brim, sloshes in rhythm with each step Kokoro takes. Her delicate humming fills the crisp, afternoon air as she walks over to the greenhouse, the sun warming her ashen hair.

Usually, she liked to go out here earlier in the morning, but there'd been a sortie shortly after breakfast, and by the time they were done it was already lunch. It already felt like a wasted day, so Kokoro was eager to finally have time for herself, even if it wasn't exactly what she would've preferred.

Kokoro lets out a deep breath as she reaches out her hand, gently swinging the greenhouse door open and stepping inside. A quiet "—Oh...?" passes through her lips. She blinks when she realizes someone's already there, directly across from the entrance and sitting down on a chair.

She's quite used to finding Mitsuru in here, staring out the window or quietly observing her flowers, and she's even more accustomed to him walking in on her at times. But today it's _Miku_ who's there, ripping off pieces of a leaf that had fallen from the center tree.

At length, Kokoro had talked to Miku about the garden, passionately explaining her favorite types of plants as she listened intently, but they'd never come to the greenhouse together. Miku had, once or twice, entertained the idea of a picnic there with the other girls, thought nothing had ever come of it.

A fond smile blossoms upon Kokoro's face. "Ah, Miku—"

Miku jumps up with a loud yelp, causing the chair she'd been sitting on to topple over ineptly. Her head whips to the side, locking eyes with Kokoro as a blush creeps onto her cheeks. "K-Kokoro!" Suddenly her posture relaxes, and the corners of her mouth lift up. "Damn, you scared me. Your footsteps are so quiet..."

Kokoro giggles lightly, walking over to her and then lifting the chair back into a standing position. "Sorry for startling you, I thought I'd be the only one here. You're the last person I expected to see, Miku."

"I should probably go then." Miku's expression turns into a pout as she dusts the hem of her dress off. She turns toward the door, taking a step in the direction opposite Kokoro. "I was just letting off steam, and I thought you'd already been here earlier—"

Kokoro reaches out with one arm and clasps the fabric of Miku's sleeve, stopping her in her tracks. "—Don't be silly! I'm glad to have some company." Miku twirls back around and beams at her. "Ah, but you said you were 'letting off steam,' so... Did something happen?"

Miku's expression goes sour again, and she firmly crosses her arms over her chest. "Oh, take a wild guess!" Even with all the roughness of that statement, Kokoro can't help but laugh again—she knows exactly why Miku's in a bad mood, and she always knows that Miku'll only calm down once she vents it all out via ranting. "It's that Zorome of course, trying to get out of chores again! I swear he does it just to piss me off—!"

Kokoro listens to her shout for another minute, nodding when appropriate and occasionally interjecting with questions. She waters some of the nearby flowers as Miku keeps on talking. "—Don't worry about it too much, it'll blow over like it always does," Kokoro says when she finishes, her eyes filled with empathy. She presses her hand against Miku's shoulder. "Ah, I know what'll help take your mind off of it..."

Miku watches as Kokoro walks over to a flower patch and crouches down, watering can poised just above the dirt. "Do you want to help me tend to the flowers, Miku? It's really relaxing."

Miku's mouth hangs open slightly as she copies Kokoro's crouching position. "Really, you'd teach me?" When Kokoro nods, Miku moves her hands and rests them on Kokoro's, which are still pressed against the cold metal of the watering can. "Good, then! I've always wanted to learn, anyway."

Kokoro finds herself bursting into a giggling fit again, but she composes herself after a few seconds. Miku's smiling at her broadly as she guides the watering can, showing her the proper areas and amounts.

"Try to get it close to the roots, like this," says Kokoro, tipping the spout forward, spilling the water out. Her hands are warm below Miku's nimble fingers, which are clutching at the watering can as if she's afraid she'll drop it. "But don't pour out too much. Make sure the dirt doesn't overflow with water."

Kokoro urges the can backward, stopping the water flow. Miku follows her actions exactly as they happen, seamlessly syncing up with her. The mood has already become lighter and more mellow, evening out the tension Miku had held only minutes ago.

When they get up to go to the next patch, Kokoro offers her hand—and Miku clasps it into hers without hesitation. As Kokoro leads the way, Miku briskly says, "You're right, Kokoro, I feel so calm..."

Briefly, Kokoro tilts her head over her shoulder and shoots Miku a small grin. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I hate to see you in a bad mood like that, you know."

When Kokoro turns away, Miku feels her cheeks warm up. _That's Kokoro for you_, she thinks, shaking her head, _She's always been too sweet for her own good_. Is that such a bad thing, though? It makes Miku wonder.

Soon enough, Kokoro's bending down to shake some water onto a plant with large, fanned leaves. "These need more water than most of the other ones," she says, sprinkling a little drizzle onto the soil as well. "But you still have to strike a balance..."

Miku watches carefully, looking down from above—watches how every move Kokoro makes is concise and graceful. That, combined with her soft voice, leaves her feeling a bit dazed and mesmerized.

"—There, I think that's all of them for today." The sound of Kokoro's voice makes Miku blink rapidly, forcing her out of her thoughts. Kokoro sets down her watering can onto the stone-tiled floor, rubbing the dirt off her palms. "The next time you wander in here, you're more than welcome to water the flowers, Miku."

"Y-Yeah, definitely, Kokoro. It's kinda nice here, too, so I might come back..." Miku sits herself down on the chair as Kokoro bustles around behind her doing who knows what—probably rearranging things and smelling the flowers. Miku clears her throat. "Hey, you always talk to me about the 'language of flowers' that you read about... Well, I wanna know what some of them mean."

"O-Oh?" There's a clear beat of surprise in Kokoro's tone, and it even makes her voice rise an octave or two. "Okay, sure! Which ones catch your eye?" She gestures to the whole of the greenhouse, and Miku looks around slowly.

"I like those pink ones over there," Miku says sharply, pointing at a clump of magenta-colored flowers planted near the tall glass walls.

"Ah, I figured you would." Kokoro laughs under her breath, lightly stepping over to the patch, and tilting the bright, full petals towards her. "These are peonies," she says, without so much as pausing. Miku thinks it's almost scary—like she doesn't even have to stop and think about it. "They mean that you'll have a happy life."

Miku lets her eyes close as she leans back into the chair. Kokoro's pleasantly soothing voice continues, though: "They also signify good fortune and prosperity, and..."

Her voice is so calm and sweet that Miku finds herself dozing off; Kokoro's words start to blur into white noise. She can still hear her talking, though, so she knows she's not quite asleep yet—just on the cusp of reality and dreams.

"...and it's believed to have healing properties, too," Kokoro finishes, standing up with two of the bright pink flowers in one of her hands. She turns around—and Miku's slouched over slightly, her expression placid. Kokoro holds her other hand over her mouth to stifle her laughs. "Miku," she says teasingly, raising her voice slightly.

Miku snaps back into reality just as quickly, her pigtails flying all around as she straightens up. She's blushing a cute pink. "S-Sorry, Kokoro! I really was listening, you know, but your voice is just so nice and—"

"—No need to apologize." Kokoro laughs again, bringing one of the peonies up to Miku's head. Miku sits still, like she's frozen in place, as Kokoro neatly ties the stem into her hairband.

"When we visited the Garden," Kokoro starts, fingers still working carefully on the second flower, "I remembered all those times you made me flower crowns in the springtime." Kokoro's mouth shifts from a blank line to a bright smile. "That's when I became so interested in flowers... So I thought it was time I return the favor."

When she's done, she steps back, and Miku brushes her fingertips over the petals. She smiles, standing up and pulling Kokoro into a warm hug. "They're so beautiful. Thanks for everything, Kokoro."

Kokoro squeezes her tightly and then pulls back, simply nodding without saying anything.

"—Y-You know," Kokoro says abruptly, her cheeks flushing, "p-peonies also mean 'bashfulness.'" She leans in closer, fingers clutching the edge of her uniform's long hem. "S-So I guess, what I'm trying to say is... That's exactly how I feel, right now, too."

"Kokoro..." Miku can't help but look into her pale, blue eyes. Her hand wanders to the peony in her hair again, and then she purses her lips. Her cheeks are hot, but a smirk forms on her face in spite of that. "One day, that bashfulness of yours is gonna get you in trouble."

Kokoro looks at her in confusion for a second, before Miku leans in and presses a quick, chaste kiss to Kokoro's cheek, snickering as she pulls her lips away afterward. The smile on Miku's face goes from ear-to-ear, and then an equally dazzling crimson blush shades Kokoro's entire face.

"M-Miku..." Kokoro twiddles her fingers, looking down—but grinning like she's the luckiest girl in the world. "I really do love you a lot, Miku."

Miku's hands are shoved into her pockets timidly. "I... I do too, you know!" Miku twists around toward the greenhouse's exit, and Kokoro laughs mildly. When her hand grasps the door handle, she turns back to look at Kokoro over her shoulder "—Ehh, Kokoro, tomorrow let's meet here after lunch, okay?"

Kokoro looks up, already nodding back vigorously. "Y-Yeah, and I'll bring tea and cake, so we can have a picnic like we always said we would!"

Miku flashes her a peace sign. "Good. And then I'll make you another flower crown while I'm at it, too."


End file.
